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Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the pinnacle of the Lebanese Basic Safety Directorate, stated in an interview that he obtained an invite to the White Home earlier this month to debate the lacking Individuals. The invitation got here a couple of days after President Biden met with Tice’s dad and mom.
Ibrahim, who has helped to safe the discharge of a number of hostages within the Center East over the previous decade, has for years been concerned within the effort to find Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012, in addition to different lacking Individuals. “They needed me to renew my effort to resolve this downside,” he stated, referring to his conferences this week with White Home officers. “They needed their folks again, and that is their objective.”
State Division spokesman Ned Worth on Wednesday confirmed that Ibrahim met with Roger Carstens, the particular presidential envoy for hostage affairs. “We’re not going to touch upon the specifics of these discussions past restating the truth that we have now no increased precedence than seeing the secure launch of Individuals who’re wrongfully detained or held hostage anyplace all over the world,” Worth stated throughout a information briefing.
“In fact, we talked in regards to the case of Austin Tice yesterday, an American who has been — who has been separated from his household for practically 10 years, who has spent 1 / 4 of his life separated from his household,” Worth stated. “He’s all the time high of thoughts. The opposite Individuals who’re detained in locations like Iran and Russia and Afghanistan and Venezuela and elsewhere are all the time high of thoughts for us too.”
Tice disappeared when he tried to go away the rebel-held city of Darayya, exterior the Syrian capital, Damascus. Darayya was surrounded by authorities troops on the time. His relations have repeatedly stated they’re assured that he’s alive. Syria has not publicly acknowledged holding Tice or the opposite Individuals, together with Majd Kamalmaz, a psychotherapist who went lacking in 2017, and 4 different U.S. residents whose households don’t want publicity.
Biden met with Tice’s dad and mom, Marc and Debra Tice, on Could 2, and “reiterated his dedication to proceed to work by means of all accessible avenues to safe Austin’s lengthy overdue return to his household,” White Home press secretary Jen Psaki stated in an announcement on the time.
Ibrahim, who additionally met with Debra Tice this week, stated it had been a “very long time” since any credible data had emerged about Austin Tice’s destiny.
“I need to inform everybody that she is not going to surrender in any respect,” he stated of Tice’s mom. “I’m beside her with that. We need to shut this file. Everybody is keen to take action.”
This week marked the second time in lower than two years that Ibrahim has been summoned by the White Home to help in finding lacking Individuals. His earlier journey, in October 2020, was geared toward furthering negotiations with the Syrian authorities that President Donald Trump launched to assist safe the discharge of the Individuals.
Earlier that 12 months, two senior U.S. officers, together with Carstens, visited Damascus for secret talks with the pinnacle of Syria’s intelligence company in regards to the destiny of Tice, within the first official talks between the 2 nations since 2012.
On the time of Ibrahim’s 2020 go to, there have been disputes inside the Trump administration over how far it ought to go in coping with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. One other topic of discord concerned the administration’s dealings with Ibrahim, whose place places him in frequent contact with Hezbollah, a celebration within the Lebanese authorities that’s designated as a terrorist group by america.
Ibrahim dismissed these considerations as political points that ought to not impede his work. “We’re speaking a couple of humanitarian case,” he stated Thursday.
Ibrahim helped safe the discharge of U.S. traveler Sam Goodwin, who was detained at a Syrian authorities checkpoint in 2019, and a Canadian citizen, Kristian Baxter, who had crossed illegally into Syria from Lebanon. In 2014, Ibrahim oversaw the discharge of a gaggle of nuns kidnapped by the Nusra Entrance, a gaggle linked to al-Qaeda.
Ibrahim didn’t say with whom he would meet within the Syrian authorities, including that it was higher if his efforts remained within the “shadow.” “When it’s below a highlight, I imagine issues will likely be spoiled,” he stated.
Up to now, Syria had insisted on a whole withdrawal of U.S. troops from the nation and the lifting of U.S. sanctions as a situation for any additional discussions in regards to the lacking Individuals, folks aware of the negotiations stated.
“I’m not positive what the Syrians need now,” Ibrahim stated.
Fahim reported from Istanbul and Haidamous reported from Washington. Liz Sly in London and Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report.
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